RISK FACTORS OF VERTEBRAL FRACTURES AMONG WOMEN AGED MORE THAN 50 YEARS ATTENDING TERTIARY CARE CENTRE: A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Vertebral Fractures are most frequent type of fracture in osteoporosis and often it remains asymptomatic or happens unnoticed and is not diagnosed. Objective: The present case control study was planned to find out the risk factors for undiagnosed vertebral fractures in a population of women over 50 years attending tertiary care centre for the complaint of chronic back pain.

Material and methods: There were 180 participants in the case group who had chronic back pain and 60 participants in the control group who didn’t. All the details of risk factors, demographic information, clinical symptoms, X-ray findings were collected in the predesigned questionnaire.

Results: The height of the women with chronic back pain were shorter than those who did not have back pain (p= 0.005), they had a greater proportion of kyphosis (58%) and a higher proportion of VF (17%). The association between chronic back pain and BMI, VFs and kyphosis was statistically significant.

Conclusions: At the time of the study 17% of women with chronic back pain presented with at least one VF. They also had a higher prevalence of kyphosis than the women without back pain. A regular screening should be done in women aged more than 50 with chronic back pain so that VFs can be identified and treated timely.